


A Little Bit More Can't Hurt (Can It?)

by theagonyofblank



Category: Grey's Anatomy, L Word
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-07-18
Updated: 2008-07-18
Packaged: 2017-10-21 21:36:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/230100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theagonyofblank/pseuds/theagonyofblank
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She doesn’t really know why Helena’s choosing right now to bring this up; they’ve only known each other for two weeks, and okay, maybe Addison’s heart drops when Helena smiles at her, and Addison’s stomach flutters when Helena kisses her – but that was just that once, and Addison tells herself that she doesn’t think of it at all – but all of that doesn’t mean that Addison likes Helena in a way that Addison shouldn’t like Helena. Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Bit More Can't Hurt (Can It?)

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt was "Addison/Helena, caught in the act." Written for the Cross My Heart (on LJ) International Day of Femslash ficathon 2008.

 

“I’m seeing someone.”

 

Those are the first words out of Helena’s mouth when they meet for coffee, and Addison is caught off guard. She arches an eyebrow, elegantly, and takes a slow sip of her mocha latte, using the time to think.

 

“Okay.” is what she finally settles on, and she can’t help the confusion that’s managed to sneak into her tone. She doesn’t really know how to answer to something like that, anyway. She sets her latte down, plays with the plastic edge of the lid and watches Helena.

 

Helena meets her eyes and smiles, almost a little hesitantly, but she doesn’t speak.

 

Addison breaks the gaze to glance at her watch. She doesn’t really know why Helena’s choosing right now to bring this up; they’ve only known each other for two weeks, and okay, maybe Addison’s heart drops when Helena smiles at her, and Addison’s stomach flutters when Helena kisses her – but that was just that once, and Addison tells herself that she doesn’t think of it at all – but all of that doesn’t mean that Addison likes Helena in a way that Addison shouldn’t like Helena. Right?

 

Right.

 

“I have to go,” Addison says, even though she’s just arrived. Before Helena can stop her, she’s out of the door and headed for her car.

 

It’s only when she gets on the 5 that she realizes she forgot to take her latte with her.

 

\---

 

The light on her voicemail is blinking when Addison gets home later that evening.

 

She presses the button, and immediately Helena’s voice fills the room.

 

 _“Hi, Addison. It’s Helena. I hope you’re not—”_ There’s a pause, and Addison can hear her sigh loudly. _“I don’t really know what to say. I know we haven’t been friends for very long, but I—”_ Another pause, another sigh. _“Can you please call me back when you get this? Thank you.”_

 

Addison deletes the message, and tries not to think about it for the next week.

 

\---

 

Four days later, during Addison’s lunch break, Helena shows up at the Oceanside Wellness Center with two cups of coffee.

 

“It’s a latte,” Helena says, by way of explanation, when Addison accepts it cautiously and takes a whiff.

 

“Mocha latte?”

 

Helena nods in response, holding her own cup with both hands now, and allows Addison to lead her to the break room.

 

Addison takes a careful sip of her hot drink and sets it down, aware of Helena’s eyes on her the whole time. The cake that Dell’s brought in this morning is sitting on the counter, and she gestures towards it. “Want any?”

 

“No, thank you.”

 

It’s a bit strained between them, then, and Addison feels guilty for that. Of course, _she’s_ not the one who had the significant other that she failed to mention the first time they kissed, so on second thought, maybe Addison’s not that sorry.

 

She shrugs and turns to help herself to a slice of the cake, placing it onto a plastic plate with her back facing Helena for a moment. When she turns back around again, she’s surprised to find Helena standing right in front of her. She can hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears, and when Helena moves in to kiss her, she’s so surprised she drops her plate with a clatter.

 

It only takes a moment before Addison is kissing Helena back fiercely, and she stumbles back a step until her back hits the counter. Helena closes the gap between them easily, kissing the corner of Addison’s lips and moving down to the base of her neck.

 

“ _Oh!_ ”

 

Addison’s eyelids flutter open at the deeper voice, and she grips Helena’s shoulders so hard the other woman has to stop her ministrations and turn around.

 

Dells stares at them both for a moment, before he stammers, “Uh. I came to get the- but you can- I’m going to go, now.”

 

And just like that, he’s gone.

 

Addison feels a little sorry for Dell, but she doesn’t get to think much about it, because she places a hand on the counter behind her and suddenly it sounds like she’s knocked something over – and when she turns to see just what she’s done, she realizes she’s managed to spill her latte all over the counter.

 

She can’t help herself then.

 

Because really. Dell’s just walked in on her and Helena making out like teenagers, and everything around them’s a mess. Her shirt’s pulled up a little and Helena’s hair looks a bit out of place. The cake’s still on the floor (and thank God the plate is plastic, because Addison doesn’t want to think about it if it’d been breakable), and now there’s mocha latte all over the counter, too.

 

And it’s a little bit awkward, but it’s also, well. It’s a little bit ridiculous.

 

She stands there for a second, just looking around her, and suddenly she starts laughing. She starts laughing and she can’t stop. She laughs until even Helena can’t resist, and starts laughing with her too.

 

\---

 

Addison doesn’t like to seem needy.

 

So when Helena continues to see the other woman, all the while meeting with Addison for coffee, or dinner, or something else, Addison doesn’t say anything. The topic isn’t broached by either of them, but Addison knows what Helena’s doing, that Helena’s still seeing her. And Addison certainly doesn’t ask for Helena to break up with her, even though that’s what she wants.

 

Because that’s what she wants, isn’t it? To call Helena her own.

 

She finally finds the courage to say something a month after they’ve been doing whatever it is they’ve been doing.

 

They’re sitting on Helena’s couch in Helena’s living room, and Helena looks at her, quite shocked. “Darling—”

 

Addison stands to leave, knowing she’s not going to like the next words out of Helena’s mouth. But Helena grasps her hand before she can go anywhere.

 

“Addison,” Helena says firmly, pulling Addison down to sit down next to her again. “I haven’t been seeing Jen since I kissed you at your work last month.”

 

“What?”

 

Helena smiles, and leans forward to kiss Addison on the lips. “I thought you knew.”

 

Addison shakes her head, allowing Helena to straddle her legs. She tipped her head back as Helena placed feather-light kisses on her neck. “I didn’t— I had no idea.”

 

She felt Helena smile against her skin, and then felt a warm breath by her ear.

 

“Well, now you do.”

\---

 

Addison’s never realized how different it would feel.

 

Sleeping with Helena when Helena’s with someone else is an entirely different thing from sleeping with Helena when Helena’s just _hers._

 

It’s a nice feeling, she decides. Warmer.

 

Six o’clock.

 

She untangles herself from the sleeping woman and moves to get out of bed, when she feels a slender arm wrap itself around her waist.

 

Her heart flutters just a little.

 

She sighs and closes her eyes, her mind made up as she relaxes against Helena.

 

 _Fine. Just a few more minutes._

 


End file.
